


sacrifice the queen

by tielan



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Character Study, Female Allies, Female Friendship, Gen, Maria is a BAMF, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-03-04
Packaged: 2018-03-16 06:20:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3477677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tielan/pseuds/tielan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes wars are fought in words, sometimes they’re fought in subversion, sometimes they’re simply fought in carefully measured resistance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	sacrifice the queen

**Author's Note:**

> For the TowerParty: a Marvel flashfiction challenge. The prompt is _don't go gently into that good night_.

Maria sticks her fingers in her mouth and lets loose a whistling blast.

Three women turn to look at her, their expressions ranging from disbelieving to infuriated.

“We are not _dogs_ to be called to heel!” Yukio – no other given name – nearly spits out the words.

“The argument was going nowhere.” Maria shrugs. “And it’s all moot, anyway. I’m going in.”

Agent Holly Yardley, of Ms. Carter’s mysterious S.H.I.E.L.D organisation, blinks. “Forgive me, Private Hill, but you don’t have the training for this.”

“Madam Hydra doesn’t even know you exist.” Jessan Hoan sneers. “You are nothing to her.”

“And that’s why I should go in.” Maria glances around at the other three women who’ve gathered here as allies and partners in this attempt to wrest control of a city back from the self-styled ‘liberator’ who took it over a mere two days ago. “She doesn’t know who I am, she’s not watching for me, she can’t expect me.”

Agent Yardley frowns. “This is no time to play the hero, Private Hill.”

“I’m not trying to be a hero,” Maria explains. “I'm buying you time.”

* * *

Thinking is overrated.

Barton has turned. He has the Tesseract. It’s the most powerful thing on Earth – possibly in the universe. If it gets into the wrong hands—

Her hands are on the gun, on the wheel, on the handbrake. Her heart is pounding against her ribcage – she thinks. She can’t hear it over the rumble of the mountain, the roar of the engine, the staccato gunfire peppering the air. She moved on instinct, fired on instinct, drives on instinct—

Dodges on instinct, swerves to avoid the rocks, crashes into the blockage brought down by that glowing staff thing that Mr. He-Didn’t-Tell-Me-His-Name was wielding—

Comes to consciousness amidst gritty desert dust, an aching body, and the knowledge that she’s failed.

 _Still alive_ , she tells herself, in darkness and defeat. _That’s something._

* * *

Not all wars are fought in the field.

Maria learned that long before S.H.I.E.L.D, long before Madripoor, long before the Marines, back in the childhood she prefers not to remember. Sometimes wars are fought in words, sometimes they’re fought in subversion, sometimes they’re simply fought in carefully measured resistance.

Sitting at the table, she knows what the Council is offering her: the chance to rise over Fury’s dead body – politically dead rather than physically dead, perhaps, but either way, it’s the opportunity to fast-track her career.

A career that’s already on the fast track. And Maria knows she’s good, but she also knows she has a lot to learn. From Fury and the many others in S.H.I.E.L.D who are older, with more experience, with more understanding and nuance.

Plus, she personally thinks it’s overkill. She might disagree with Fury’s view of the Avengers, but that doesn’t automatically mean she’s going to stab him in the back.

Drawing the Council’s fire – the salvo they intended for Fury – and turning it back on them isn’t one of the most satisfying things Maria’s ever done.

But it comes damned close.

* * *

Her head aches under the helmet, and her neck crawls with the danger that sits all around her, but Maria keeps her mouth shut and her ears open, even as she follows the directives given by Rumlow and his boys.

She doesn’t know exactly what’s going on, but she can see a bigger picture. Fury’s ‘death’, the hunt for Rogers and Romanoff, Pierce’s assumption of leadership at S.H.I.E.L.D, Jasper questioning her in front of Insight Control: this is a takeover.

What Maria doesn’t know is _why_. Who’s behind it all? What do they want? And can they be stopped?

“ _You’re going in, aren’t you?_ ” Doc Fine said when she left Fury in his hands.

“ _Someone needs to. We’re operating blind here._ ”

The Doc harrumphed. “ _Just don’t get yourself caught or killed. He doesn’t need the stress._ ”

Frankly, Maria’s less worried about getting caught or killed; the big players – Rogers and Romanoff – are the ones who need to keep breathing; she’s incidental.

Still, she appreciates what the Doc was saying underneath it all.

And she’ll bide her time in this pit of vipers until she can strike her own blow.

* * *

“You know they’re going to tear you apart,” Pepper observes as Maria combs her fingers through her hair, and wonders if she shouldn’t have put it up. She needs to look brisk professional, to contrast with Romanoff’s beautiful-sexy-and-exotic. “Or, at least, they’re going to try.”

“They need a scapegoat, and Romanoff’s too pretty to die.”

“You’re not serious!” Then Pepper sees Maria’s expression and sighs. “You underestimate yourself, Maria.”

“And _you’ve_ never used someone else’s opinion of you to turn the tables on them?”

“I don’t undervalue myself in doing so.”

Maria doesn’t argue that she knows her value – and that it’s most certainly not worth the lives and livelihood of the people who are needed to save the world. Fury and Coulson are ‘dead’, but they’re still fighting the good fight. Rogers and Wilson and Romanoff will go find what needs finding. And S.H.I.E.L.D is gone, but its resources remain.

And the powers of the world want someone to crucify in the wake of the chaos. Maria’s willing to be that someone. At least she’s willing to be that someone long enough for other people – the important people, the heroes – to get to ground so they can recoup.

She can buy them that time. It’s hardly all she’s good for, but it’s the best she’s got.

The antechamber door opens. “Maria Hill.”

Maria glances Pepper’s way. “Don’t wait up for me.”

“Don’t sacrifice a queen if you don’t need to,” comes the biting retort.

Maria pauses, thanks Pepper with a smile, then walks in to face Congress.


End file.
